Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Deep River Township, Michigan

Deep River Township’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy of a manufactured home as a dwelling inside Deep River township

  • Applies to manufactured homes; a certificate of compliance is issued by the Deep River township building official.
  • Certificate is tied to HUD code compliance.

  “no person shall occupy a manufactured home as a dwelling within deep river township until a certificate of compliance with the hud code has been issued by the deep river township building official.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Deep River township, Arenac County, Michigan, under the township's own zoning ordinance

  • Ordinance adopted February 13, 2024 by the township; it is the township's own ordinance, not a county ordinance.
  • Zoning administration and enforcement is assigned to the Planning Commission and zoning administrator under chapter 15 of the ordinance (not separately opened).

  “deep river township arenac county, michigan zoning ordinance adopted: february 13, 2024”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Deep River township

  • Districts named in the ordinance: R-1 (single-family residential), R-2 (recreational residential), R-3 (agricultural residential), C-1 (mixed use commercial), C-2 (commercial/industrial).
  • Zoning map location and adoption were not read in the opened text.

  “section 5.1 - schedule of regulations zoning district r-1 (singlefamily residential) r-2 (recreational residential) r-3 (agricultural residential)”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family, multiple-family, townhouse and condominium dwellings in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts of Deep River township

  • Multiple-family dwellings also require 480 square feet per unit; townhouses and condominiums are subject to the same size limits.
  • Living area is measured by outside dimensions, excluding attached garages, porches and accessory structures.
  • Manufactured homes must have a minimum floor area of 720 square feet (section 3.13).

  minimum living area: >= 480 sq ft

  “no single family dwelling shall be hereinafter erected, altered or moved, on any land or premises in this district which provides for less than four hundred eighty (480) square feet of living area in the r-1, r-2, and r-3 zoning districts.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family residential district R-1 in Deep River township

  • Lot width minimum 150 feet.

  minimum lot area: >= 43560 sq ft (1 acre)

  “lot area, minimum – 43,560 square feet (1 acre) lot width, minimum – 150 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural residential district R-3 in Deep River township

    “lot area, minimum – 43,560 square feet (1 acre) lot width, minimum – 150 feet (200 feet for multiple-family)”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family residential district R-1 in Deep River township

  • Projections such as chimneys, eaves and gutters may extend 24 inches into a setback; unenclosed fire escapes and balconies up to 5 feet (section 3.10).

  front setback: >= 50 ft · interior side setback: >= 10 ft · corner side setback: >= 10 ft · rear setback: >= 25 ft

  “front setback, minimum – 50 feet interior side setback, minimum – 10 feet corner side setback, minimum – 10 feet rear setback, minimum – 25 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural residential district R-3 in Deep River township

    “front setback, minimum – 50 feet interior side setback, minimum – 10 feet corner side setback, minimum – 10 feet rear setback, minimum – 25 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-family residential district R-1 in Deep River township

  • Schedule of regulations section 5.1 footnotes apply to additional requirements.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “floor area, minimum – 480 square feet lot coverage, maximum – 30%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural residential district R-3 in Deep River township

    “floor area, minimum – 480 square feet lot coverage, maximum – 30%”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-family residential district R-1 in Deep River township

  • Maximum structure height measured as stated in the ordinance; footnotes in section 5.1 apply.

  maximum structure height: <= 30 ft

  “structure height, maximum – 30 feet front setback, minimum – 50 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural residential district R-3 in Deep River township

    “structure height, maximum – 30 feet front setback, minimum – 50 feet”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Using a travel trailer, camper or recreational vehicle as a dwelling inside Deep River township

  • Allowed for temporary dwelling only during construction of a dwelling, for the owner, not to exceed twelve (12) months; the location must meet yard requirements for standard dwellings.
  • Storage on a lot containing a dwelling is allowed (section 3.14) if the owner owns the unit, it carries a current state license plate, yard setbacks are met, and it is not used for permanent or continuous dwelling purposes.
  • Permanent occupancy of motor homes, travel trailers, and similar portable structures is prohibited except as otherwise allowed in the ordinance (section 3.7).
  • A zoning permit from the zoning administrator is required for such temporary dwelling use (section 3.6(a)).

  temporary dwelling occupancy duration: <= 12 months (one additional twelve month extension is referenced in the ordinance)

  “no basement-dwelling, cellar-dwelling, garage-house, tent, camper, travel trailer, recreational vehicle, mobile home not installed according the requirements of this ordinance, or other temporary structure shall hereafter be erected or moved upon any premises and used for dwelling purposes except under the following applicable conditions”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and travel trailer parks inside Deep River township; camping on private land without a campground use is not addressed by this ordinance section

  • Minimum lot size of ten (10) acres.
  • Lot must have direct vehicular access to a public road.
  • Sanitary facilities at least one hundred (100) feet from property lines; campsites at least fifty (50) feet from property lines.
  • Perimeter screening required; must comply with state and district health department rules.

  campground minimum lot size: >= 10 acres

  “section 14.6 - campgrounds & travel trailer parks a. a minimum lot size shall be ten (10) acres.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes newly sited on an individual lot inside Deep River township

  • Must meet minimum lot size, yard setbacks and a minimum floor area of 720 square feet for the district.
  • Must attach to an approved permanent foundation or basement and be anchored.
  • Must be installed under HUD installation standards and built to 24 CFR part 3280.
  • Occupancy requires a certificate of compliance with the HUD code issued by the Deep River township building official.
  • Site preparation (electric, water, sewage disposal, foundation) must be complete before placement; not used as accessory buildings.

  minimum floor area: >= 720 sq ft (for the district in which it is located)

  “a manufactured home newly sited on an individual lot shall meet the standards for minimum lot size, yard set-backs, and minimum floor area of 720 square feet for the district in which it is located”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units inside the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts of Deep River township

  • One ADU per lot containing an existing detached single-family dwelling; the ADU must be part of an existing one-family owner-occupied home and clearly secondary to it.
  • Lot must meet the minimum lot area and width standards of the district.
  • Further ADU standards in section 3.5(k) were not fully read; they must be confirmed.

  “adus are permitted by right within the r-1, r-2, and r-3 zoning districts.”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Outside toilets anywhere inside Deep River township

  • Exception: designated park areas.
  • Exception: portable toilets on a temporary basis.

  “outside toilets shall not be permitted in deep river township except in designated park areas and portable toilets on a temporary basis.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Bed and breakfast facilities, tourist homes and short-term rentals in single-family dwellings inside Deep River township

  • Use must be subordinate to a single-family dwelling unit.
  • Must not alter the residential character of the structure.
  • Must comply with all local, state and federal requirements.
  • Each guest room must be equipped with a smoke detector (text truncated in the opened copy; the remaining conditions were not read).

  “a bed and breakfast or tourist home or short-term rental is a subordinate use to a single-family dwelling unit subject to the following conditions”

• Permit processPartial

  Moving a building into or within Deep River township

  • A zoning permit from the zoning administrator is required for moving buildings; the moving of a building is treated as erection of a new building for all requirements.
  • Zoning permits are also required for temporary dwelling use (section 3.6); other permit steps (building, septic, well) are not described in the sections opened.

  “no building shall be moved within or into deep river township without first obtaining a zoning permit from the zoning administrator.”

Rules another office applies inside Deep River Township

Deep River Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• InspectionsLimited

  Demolition of buildings inside Deep River township, under the township zoning ordinance's reference to the Arenac County building official

  • Only demolition inspection is stated; general construction inspections were not located.
  • The demolition conditions are those the Arenac County building official specifies to protect public health, safety and welfare.

  “demolished buildings shall be inspected by the arenac county building official.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Deep River Township or Arenac County directly.

• Building permit — New construction inside Deep River township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Deep River township
• Septic permit — Septic system permit for a new home inside Deep River township
• Septic inspection — Septic system inspection inside Deep River township
• Well permit — Private water well permit for a home inside Deep River township

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.